


Spirit Guide

by SquishyStar505



Category: EXID (Band), GOT7, LOONA (Korea Band), Momoland (Band), NCT (Band), Pentagon (Korea Band), SEVENTEEN (Band), Super Junior, Weki Meki (Band), Winner (Band), 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Adventure, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Crossover, Fantasy, Friendship, Gen, Magic, Spirit Animals
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-08
Updated: 2020-12-27
Packaged: 2021-03-05 04:27:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 6,668
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25138462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SquishyStar505/pseuds/SquishyStar505
Summary: Namjoon has everything he could ever want in life, it was all perfect until a visit from the law enforcement flips everything upside down, now Namjoon moves to Italy for a job and he hopes he can bond with his brother Jimin while working there. But what Namjoon didn't count on was that his fate and Jimin's were tied to save the world from being overtaken by the Shadow Spirits as they break the veil that separates them from our world and theirs and cause havoc and disrupts the balance of life.
Comments: 1
Kudos: 2





	1. Tuesday

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own anything related and/or mentioned in the story, nor do I know any of the artists/famous mentioned in this. This is a work of fiction and I am merely using the artists as characters. I do own the story but nothing more. Any names or places associated in the real world are either mere coincidence or used for the inspiration for this story.

It was a Tuesday, the rain had let up after a series of downpours for the whole week when the rain finally stopped, it felt almost too abruptly if Namjoon was honest, but he smiled anyway. The roads were still wet, but the smell of wet cement and damp wood was an odd mixture, but soothing regardless. Despite the sun shining bright, it wasn't hot enough, the cool air from the days of never-ending rain remained, and it felt nice against his skin. He had just come back from doing some fieldwork, checking out an old house, close to crashing to the ground, he wasn't sure if he could save it, but it was worth trying.  
He makes his way to a small cafe shop, buys a muffin and a latte, and continues his walk back home, his work consisted of buying old houses, studying and researching their history, restore, preserve and on occasion sell them to those who would appreciate fine historical architecture.  


He got home, ate his muffin, and began reading his notes and looking at the pictures he had taken, one would think an office is needed for tasks like these, which is true, but Namjoon is always traveling, both local and global, so he makes an office out of thin air with what he has, and it works for him. Tuesday was like any other day of the week for him, and unlike most people, he enjoyed his work.   
He was in his office, technically speaking his dining room, sorting out papers, seeing what facts he was missing, what deeds he needed to get, and so forth. A knock on his door interrupted his workflow, he walked over to the door to see whoever it was that was taking up his precious research time and was shocked to find two detectives, they introduced themselves as Detectives Francesco Amari and Alessandro Rossi, he offers them a seat in his small living room, and something to drink but they kindly decline as they seem to want to quickly do what they came to do. He sits on his chair and watches them both, they look at each other before going through their notes, checking to make sure they had all their facts straight.

  
Namjoon didn't know why they were there, but their presence and silence was making him anxious, what was their reason for this visit? He was sure his working visa was approved, what if someone stole his identity? Whatever their reason, they needed to speak, and soon before his heart exploded and gave him a heart attack before he reaches his 30's.

  
"Namjoon Kim, is it?"

"Yes,"

"Ah ok, first we wish to apologize for showing up so abruptly, but it is an emergency and we needed to get a hold of you sooner rather than later."

"of course, what seems to be the problem detectives?"

"We'll get to that, first we need to confirm if the woman in this picture is familiar to you," Rossi said as he slid a picture to him, Namjoon steadily grabbed it, and just as quick as he took it, he returned it. He knew that face all too well, it was a face he would rather forget.

"Yes, I recognize that face anywhere,"

"So, you can confirm that you know this woman?"

"yes, she's my mother, though if I'm honest she's more of a stranger."

  
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," The detective said, his partner, Alessandro, the blonde with curly hair cleared his throat, catching both of their attention. "Yes, we're sorry to hear that, but we're here because well, she was found..."  
Namjoon blinked staring at the two men before him, he could only imagine where the conversation was heading, his mother left his father and took him when he was still a toddler, she was sick, not only was she bipolar, but her ice addiction made things worse. He wouldn't be surprised if she showed up one day, dead, what did surprise him is that she lived this long. "Ah, I see," was all he could say, he really couldn't say much. He never got to fully know her, he only knew her for what she was, an addict who often forgot that she was a mother, never paid attention to him, much less acknowledge his existence. Namjoon ran away from his mother's place one too many times and she never even noticed, safe to say, they never bonded.

"yes, our condolences, but uh, Rossi and I were called by your homeland, they need you to come and identify her body, you know, protocol and all,"

"of course,"

"yeah and something else,"

"something else?" 

Both detectives went quiet for a while, the air grew thinner, colder, what else was there? His mother couldn't have possibly have left him a will, she could barely afford a fix. Detective Amari cleared his throat and handed Namjoon a sealed file, he looked at it suspiciously and eyed both of the detectives in suspicion. "What is this?" he asked as he lifted the sealed file, too hesitant to open it, afraid to read what it had, he'd prefer to be told upfront.

"well, you see son, your mother had another kid, the kid has no other living relative, and the ones that are alive don't want anything to do with him."

"We understand that this may come to a shock since you and your mother never really kept in touch,"

"Hold up," Namjoon said lifting his hands, stopping both men from talking. He was trying to register the words that were just said, his mother had another child after him, a brother. He had a little brother and he was never even aware of it. His eyes roamed over the sealed file on his desk, he understood what they were now, he just wasn't sure if he wanted to be a part of it.

"Now Mr. Kim, we fully understand if you need time to let this information sink in, but the system is only giving you 3 days before they send him off to whatever foster home there is," Amari said, his tone a bit low, almost sad as if it were a small plea.

"We just want the kid to have a shot, you're the only living relative that he has, but we would understand if you were to decline this, it is a big and sudden responsibility," Rossi added.

"... you said he has no other living relatives? And those alive want nothing to do with him?" Namjoon asked, his voice cracked a bit, he was anxious, shocked, his throat was dry, he had a little brother, all this time, and he didn't know.

"Yes, his father was killed trying to steal a pound of ice from his dealer, the rest of his family from both his mother's and father's side want nothing to do with him. They're scared that he may end up like them."  
Namjoon tapped his fingers on his little coffee table, he sighed as he rubbed his hands over his face. He has a little brother, a little brother who went through what he did, lived it, the only difference between him and his brother, is that Namjoon's father cared enough to get custody and provide him with a decent life. His little brother has no one... no one but him.

"How old is he?"

"He's 15, from what we were told he's a good kid, a little rough around the edges but a good kid who's been through hell," Amari said, nodding his head as he looked into Namjoon's eyes, he was practically begging to take the kid in.

"We would just hate it if he ended up in the system, he deserves a shot at a real-life," Rossi added, his eyes were telling the truth, but Namjoon could tell they were hiding something, he just couldn't tell what.  
But regardless of the possibility of this younger sibling becoming a pain in his life, he knew all too well what it was like. To live on nothing but the food that the cafeteria offered, to hide the money you earned during the summer for food because if you didn't hide it well, it was going to be gone for a quick fix, and because there was no money, being evicted was always a possibility. Namjoon would never wish that life on anyone, not even his biggest enemy. He nodded to the two detectives, he would take him in, he wasn't sure if he could handle it, he was scared actually, what if his little brother was more of a handful than he initially thought?  
But it was too little too late to back out, he was sure that no matter how hard the challenge was to take care of his baby brother, he would face it and try his best to understand him.

* * *

* * *

Namjoon was standing outside the building, the paperwork and approvals were done and sealed, he was now the sole legal guardian of his little brother, Jimin Park. But because the paperwork did take a lot of time to finalize plus add that he had to make a lot of last minutes flights to Korea and have someone help him with his project back in Italy, Jimin had to go to a temporary home, during which time, Namjoon finally cleared out the extra room he had, it was used for clutter, and boxes which he didn't have much, just a few empty boxes here and there, and other stuff like old books he didn't read but refused to let go.  
He cleared it out, he didn't get much stuff aside form a bed, not because he couldn't afford it, but because he got another project, another house needed saving, and the pay was big, they would have to move for a project this size. He figured that with less stuff, the move would be easier, quicker, and when they would settle in their new place, Namjoon would help him get any other stuff he would need.  


The doors opened, and an older woman stepped out and held the door, out came his little brother, black pants, converse, black hoodie and a black cap, placed on backward, and the only thing he had aside from his current attire, was a backpack, he probably would need to get him new clothes too.  
"Jimin, this is Namjoon, your older brother," The woman said, her voice cracked with age but still held a very sweet tone to it. Jimin nodded, and Namjoon gave him a half nod and a very awkward smile. She walked over to Namjoon, went over the paperwork, and made sure that everything was all accounted for. When the woman left, Namjoon was left with the papers in his hand, and a young boy who was staring at anywhere and everywhere but refused to meet his gaze. Namjoon doesn't blame him, not one bit. He's probably just as shocked by the news of an older brother.  
The level of awkwardness was so high, Namjoon felt like he was 15 himself trying to make new friends in a new school. He took in a small breath before nodding to himself and clearing his throat, the noise caught Jimin's attention, their gaze met and Namjoon gave him a soft, albeit, awkward smile, he could feel his dimples show. He extended his hand, and it took only ten seconds for Jimin to finally take it and shake it. But if Namjoon were honest, those ten seconds felt like hours.

"Well uh, I guess we better get going, we have to file a lot of paperwork and whatnot if you're going to stick with me." Jimin blinked at Namjoon's words, more paperwork? For what?

"And to answer those questions that are roaming in your head, we're moving,"

"Wait... what? Already?" Namjoon nodded and gestured Jimin to get in the car he rented. Jimin got in, tossing his backpack at the back, and looked at Namjoon, questioningly. "What do you mean we're moving?"  
Namjoon sighed, trying to put in his mind the words he would need to explain his profession to the kid. "Well, to make this long explanation short, I travel a lot, it's part of my job. I run my own business,"

"Doing what exactly?"

"I have my own real estate business but I also buy old, abandoned houses, study their history, renovate, restore, preserve, and sell. Not many people take this on a global scale, but I do."

"... well, that's cool... I guess, but what paperwork do you mean?"

"Well I have some unfinished business back in Italy, so we're going to have to get you a passport, visa, scholarships for studying aboard, and all the 'fun' stuff." Namjoon started the car, and Jimin just watched. The silence between them grew once again, none of them sure what topic to talk about, it didn't matter how much they wanted to ask, the real questions that lingered in their heads, they just weren't comfortable enough with one another to ask them.  
That night at the motel that they were staying for the night, Namjoon walked out of the bathroom and found Jimin sleeping soundly on the bed. He saw it, some of his mother's features in him, the nose, the lips, even the ears. He didn't expect the first meeting to go well, granted, a little tense and awkward, but well regardless. He didn't want to sing hallelujah just yet, he didn't fully know him, he was subconsciously preparing for the teen angst and rebellion. He picked up his phone and scoffed. Of course, it just had to be a Tuesday.


	2. New Sights and Surroundings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own anything related and/or mentioned in the story, nor do I know any of the artists/famous mentioned in this. This is a work of fiction and I am merely using the artists as characters. I do own the story but nothing more. Any names or places associated in the real world are either mere coincidence or used for the inspiration for this story.

The approval for the passports and visas took some time, Namjoon couldn't just up and leave Jimin, thankfully his business partner took care of everything back in Italy, his most recent client made it very clear that no one but him was to take on the project, and that they will wait for his return. Which for Namjoon, it was a good thing, the project paid big, but until everything was settled in Korea he took the opportunity to sell some houses on his homeland.  
High-quality service is Namjoon's priority, during the years he's managed to spread his work globally, all of his employees, handpicked by him. But when Namjoon wasn't selling houses for future homeowners, he was doing what he _really_ loved, bringing old historical homes back to life.

Which made him excited to fly back, in just 3 days, he and Jimin would be in Italy, during their time in Korea, both brother's didn't bond much, they didn't bond at all. They didn't hate each other, but they weren't chatty either. They kept to themselves, to Namjoon, it felt like he was living with a roommate rather than a relative, Jimin felt like a stranger, a burden, he didn't like bothering anyone. Jimin made sure not to cause Namjoon any trouble, so he heeded to his rules, which weren't too restricted, pretty reasonable, which were: 

  1. No getting in trouble with the law.
  2. No going out without his permission
  3. If he went out he had to let him know where he would be. 
  4. No taking stuff without his permission. 
  5. And if he's ever alone because Namjoon was working late, lock the doors and don't have anyone over.



Safe to say, Jimin tried his best to be good, went to school, got good grades, and came straight to the small but cozy apartment.

Namjoon was impressed that despite his living situation with their mother, Jimin did his best to keep good grades, his lack of friends was concerning, but given everything that has happened to him, he understood.   
By the time the school year was over, Jimin's paperwork and passports were approved, and given that he got good grades, Namjoon took the opportunity to celebrate by paying for dinner in the hopes that maybe they could talk, not necessarily a brotherly bond type of talk, but talk in general. He didn't want to force Jimin to open up, but the silence and the awkwardness were getting to be a bit much. If they couldn't bond over the fact that they shared the same mother, maybe they could bond over their love for food.  
They ate out in the streets, to Namjoon, nothing could beat street food, and Jimin agreed. They mostly ate in silence but would comment on how good the food tasted, and because it was Namjoon's treat, he let Jimin take his picks on the foods. On occasion their gaze would meet, both of them wanting to ask certain questions that would leed to possible sensitive answers, so they stayed on the topic at hand: food.

"I feel like they didn't add enough spice to this," Namjoon said, taking a bite out of a kabab. Jimin only chuckled and offered him a little plastic container that contained some hot sauce, "Where'd you get this?" he asked, looking rather surprised.

"It came with the kababs, the lady put them in the bag,"

"She did?"

"... you didn't notice?"

"I don't think I would be asking if I noticed,"

"Touche," The silence once again overtook the atmosphere, but it wasn't as awkward or tense as it was months ago, and yet, neither one of them could muster the courage to ask what they've been meaning to ask. Namjoon was too scared of coming off as demanding, and Jimin just didn't want to be intrusive. They kept eating in silence, and once they were finished filling their stomachs, they began walking, with no particular place in mind, but ultimately ended up in the park close by, there was a fair good amount of people there, the sun was setting, the air was nice. It was a nice day.

They picked a bench nearby, with a nice view of the city and the park, and the sun setting on everything in the background, displaying nice colors in hues of purples and peach. They sat there admiring the view before them, or so that's how they seemed to look like to those around them, their minds were wandering around, trying to piece together when would be the right time to ask those questions, which questions would be the less hurtful or triggering ones to ask, thinking up strategies that would help ease the conversation and not hurt or insult the other. They were at a loss.

"... so, nice sunset," Jimin started, not sure where to take this.

"Yep, pretty colors," 

"... can I be frank?" Jimin asked, his heart skipping a mile a minute, anxious, feeling like he could puke up all the food he ate at any second, instant regret. 

"Sure, what's up?"

"... Why... why did you take me in? You didn't have to, hell you didn't even know I existed," Namjoon's gaze turned to meet Jimin's, he saw the instant regret in Jimin's eyes, he had to be quick but careful with his answer. But before he could utter a single word, Jimin got up and walked off, so Namjoon ran after him. "Because I know what it's like!" He shouted, and Jimin stopped in his tracks and turned towards him.

"I know what it's like to save every single loose change you could find and keep it in a hiding place where no one but you could find, just so you can buy yourself a bag of chips and a water bottle because you know you weren't going to find anything in the fridge or the cupboards when you got home."

"... it was Gatorade, not water." Jimin chuckled looking down, still anxious but no longer regretting asking. Namjoon smiled and ruffled his hair. 

"Listen, Jimin, I'm not expecting you to tell me everything, hell I'm not expecting a full-on brother bond, but I want you to understand, that I know what it's like, and that I do understand, so if you ever just want to talk, just talk to me." Jimin nodded, he wanted to ask more, but he didn't felt quite comfortable yet, Namjoon understood and agreed to only bring up the subject when Jimin wanted to. 

They headed to the apartment that day, both feeling a big weight lifting with every stride, it didn't quite remove all the tension, but they no longer felt awkward around each other, it was a start. When they got to the apartment, they triple checked that they had everything they needed, they were after all leaving for Italy in 3 days.

* * *

* * *

Jimin never traveled before, so he was both nervous and excited, Namjoon made sure that the school he was going to had teachers that were understanding of the situation, and he found out that a lot of his classmates were from Korea too, so that set him at ease.   
Jimin's English skills were only good enough to pass the class, he wasn't fully fluent. What Jimin didn't count on was just how tiring getting to Italy was, jumping from one plane to the other, all the security checks, and then the long car ride. Namjoon promised him to give him a tour around once he was well-rested. Jimin didn't know how long he slept in the car, but when he woke up, Namjoon was still driving, and it looked like they were further down the more rural countryside. He rubbed his eyes and let out a small yawn before turning to face Namjoon, who kept his eyes on the road. Jimin wondered just how he could look fresh and wide awake with how long they've been traveling.

He sat up to be a bit more comfortable in his seat, he looked out the window again, just how long have they've been traveling?   
Namjoon turned for only a split second to check if Jimin was awake, he gave a small smile when his suspicion was confirmed, finding a confused recently awake young boy staring out the window. "You know, I always thought I could sleep forever, you take the cake."

"How long was I out for?"

"1 hour,"

"... for real?"

"Well longer if you count the flying, but driving? Just 1 hour,"

"... You've been driving for 1 hour?"

"yep"

"How do you manage to stay awake for so long after such a long trip?"

"I'm just used to it at this point, but when it gets too much I take small naps."

"You better, I don't wanna die in the farmlands of Italy... by the way where are we?"

"Tuscany, I'm meeting a client who wants me to check out an old house that was left to her and her sisters as inheritance, if I'm not mistaken, the house is located in the more isolated part not far from Monteriggioni."

"... ok and after you're done with this meeting thing?"

"We head back to Rome,"

"... so, more driving?"

"yep."

Jimin sighed and pulled his cap down, blocking the sunlight from hitting his eyes, hoping that the soft vibrations of the car would put him back to sleep, Namjoon only chuckled and lightly shook his head as he kept his eyes on the road, hoping that his little brother would adjust to his hectic, constant moving life of his, he'd hope that Jimin wouldn't resent him for it.  
Namjoon lost himself in the driving, the blur of trees and clouds passing them by, focused but at the same time relaxed, carefully listening to the GPS on his phone, as to not get lost, the soft music playing and the vibrations of the car was something Namjoon would always find comforting. The image of driving on and on, something about it made him happy, made him smile, others will never understand the joy that the road brings to Namjoon, a sense of freedom and starting anew, he could only hope that Jimin would grow to see it too and hopefully take advantage of that freedom.

Upon the arrival of the small, yet still intact town of Monteriggioni, Namjoon showed Jimin the small little commune. His client would be meeting him shortly after, so he had time to let his brother see one of the many historical and beautiful towns of Italy.  
Jimin was a little amused to see just how much his brother knew of the history of the place, what he found a little funny was that Namjoon was specifically obsessed with the building's architecture and designs.

"See the reason for the walls, was for strategy purposes, the people of Siena were in war with Florence, so they built-" Namjoon stopped mid explanation, as his phone rang and vibrated from his back pocket, "oh it's my client, I have to take this,"

"Take your time," Jimin said, rather grateful for the small break, he didn't found Namjoon's history lessons annoying, but he surely didn't need to know everything about the place. But Jimin did admit to himself, the small commune had its flare, something about it was attractive, he turned to see his brother facing him again, putting his phone away.

"My client just arrived and she wants us to meet her at a small little restaurant around here, looks like our history lesson will have to wait."

"Bummer, but I am hungry, so no complaints."

"Right, let's get going."

Both brothers walked in silence, passing the many buildings and people, the air was nice, and the atmosphere was very lively for a small little commune. They kept walking, passing by the stone buildings, Jimin taking notice its colors, faded but well preserved at the same time. Almost as if history was still trying to cling on to modern times. As they got closer to the restaurant, the smell of food made Jimin's mouth water, Namjoon waved to whom Jimin assumed was his client, which she waved back.

  
Her hair was curly, tightly curled, black and her skin was the most beautiful shade of brown, it glowed to the point where it seemed like someone had lightly dusted gold glitter on her, she had glasses that gave her a very mature feel to her soft face, her eyes as dark and glistening as her skin.  
A small girl, who seemed to be around Jimin's age stuck to her like glue, her hair was looser on the curls, a very dark chestnut color to it, matching her eyes, though Jimin's attention went to her lips, they were full and well-shaped, which he found rather cute, especially with how creamy her skin is, it wasn't necessarily white, but it wasn't tan either, almost a mix of the two tones. 

Both girls wore similar outfits in terms of color, the taller and older looking one wore a light peach dress pants, with a pastel-colored pink dress shirt, the jacket a matching color to the pants, she didn't have anything on her other than a simple rose gold watch and a file, the other girl wore a simple white sundress, with a peach ribbon tying her waist, she, on the other hand, had a matching pink choker and rose gold colored jewelry. Both made their way and the taller woman took and shook Namjoon's hand, Jimin taking notice that Namjoon was still a few inches taller.

"Thea, is it?" He heard Namjoon ask, to which she nodded and smiled, "Yes, and I hope you don't mind but I brought my little sister with me," she explained gesturing to the girl that stood close to her, "This is Maiti, she's the youngest." Namjoon and Jimin blinked, they didn't look like they could be sisters but they weren't ones to question that.

"Oh it's no bother, I brought my little brother, this is Jimin," he explained gesturing to the small person next to him, both teens waved at one another a bit awkwardly but Namjoon wasted no time if quickly changing the subject. "Which reminds me, Thea I never got your last name. It's necessary, you know to fill out the client papers and all."

"Oh, of course, it's Moreau,"

"Interesting, are you French?"

"half, shall we find a place to eat? I always find meetings like this far more tolerable if we're with full stomachs."

"I can agree with that."

The four walked towards a small restaurant, small chatter and the sound of silverware hitting the plates, a waiter came and seated them on a table right outside under two big umbrellas, Jimin looked at Namjoon for help, as he couldn't read any of the items on the menu, to which Namjoon just simply ordered for the both of them.

As their food was being prepared, Namjoon wasted no time in asking questions about the house and its status.

"So, Miss Moreau-"

"Please call me Thea,"

"right, Thea, what year was this house of yours built? How bad is the condition?"

"Well, you see that's kind of the problem," she paused to look at her sister, before earning a soft smile and nod from her, as if she was seeking her younger sister's approval before speaking. "I kind of need to somewhat explain to you the situation, so you'll be able to fully understand the situation about the house"

"Alright, I'm all ears."

"My father was a very... active... lover, Maiti and I aren't the only ones, in short, my sisters and I weren't aware that we even had sisters up until his passing, and when we went to hear the will, well evidently that's when we found out. He left each of us something for ourselves but the one thing he left in all of our names was the house here in Italy. We don't want to get rid of it because Papa stated in his will and in a letter that he wanted us to be united, and have a safe place to gather, spend time with each other, and share."

"How nice of him," Namjoon stated, rather caught off guard with the story, but he listened, if he was to restore this house he needed all the details he could get.

"Yes, and well when we got there it was abandoned and lacked a lot of upkeeping, and we didn't know who to call to help us restore it, and we certainly didn't want to hire anyone, so we found you-"

"And I'm honored that you trust me with such a task, but still, I need to know the details of the house, like who built it? What year? What materials were used? Is the blueprint still intact?"

"Yes well, that's the issue, there is no documentation of the house, which struck me as odd, and my sisters and I were hoping that with your reputation and skills, you could not only help us restore the house-" she was interrupted by her younger sister, who with her hands, made some motions, Namjoon and Jimin quickly assumed that Maiti couldn't speak, and was using sign language to communicate with Thea. 

Thea smiled and nodded, gently patting her sister's hand, "my apologies, Villa, not house, Maiti is the type that likes for things to be specific and clear. But yes, if you, Namjoon, could help us not just restore the Villa but uncover it's history and secrets."

Namjoon took a deep breath and began to think, it was going to be difficult to help without the proper information, but he's worked with less, Jimin just sat there patiently waiting for his food, he didn't know about anything the two were talking about, and clearly trying to making small talk with Maiti was out of the question since he didn't know sign language. He noticed from the corner of his eyes Namjoon nodding, "Alright, after lunch, I'll follow you to this house, take some pictures and notes and see what I'm working with, I should warn you, however, that it will take more time than usual and cost more, given the lack of documents and information... but I've worked with less."

The smile on Thea's face was radiant, as she quickly offered her hand to Namjoon to shake again, the woman radiated so much positive energy that even Jimin caught himself smirking for a bit. "Thank you, Mr. Kim, you have no idea how much this means to me and my sisters,"

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet, I still have to check the condition of the house and if it's even restorable, so don't get your hopes up just yet."

"Completely fair and understandable." And right on cue, their lunch was brought in, the aroma of the food made Jimin's stomach growl in response, utterly ready to dig in before going on another possible thirty minutes to an hour's worth of driving.


	3. Cherry  Blossom Tears

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I do not own anything related and/or mentioned in the story, nor do I know any of the artists/famous mentioned in this. This is a work of fiction and I am merely using the artists as characters. I do own the story but nothing more. Any names or places associated with the real world are either mere coincidence or used for the inspiration for this story.

Namjoon was impressed with how fast Jimin could fall asleep in the car, the ride to the location wasn't even far, a good 15 to 25-minute drive. The area was secluded as Thea previously explained, almost forest-like. The trees seemed endless on the barely visible dirt road, after their lunch, Thea went on and drove off so Namjoon could follow her to the villa's location. He was wondering how much longer it would be before they reached it but his question was quickly answered as the villa slowly came into view. 

Namjoon parked the car and woke Jimin up, who wasn't all that happy, he only rolled his eyes and opened the back door grabbing his bag with his stuff, out of habit, he opened his bag to double-check that he indeed had everything he would need for today: camera, flashlight, pen, and his notebook.

He saw Thea and her younger sister standing in front of the villa, quietly admiring it. Namjoon's eyes widened as he spotted the villa before him, Namjoon had a sense of familiarity as he kept staring. Jimin stretched as he exited the car, he noticed Namjoon gaping at the house while the two sisters kept chatting amongst themselves. He looked up and all he could see was an old mansion close to being devoured by the very nature that surrounds it. He sighed as he dug his hands in his pockets as he walked over to the man admiring the old building and scribbling down notes. Jimin leaned in to see what Namjoon was writing but he could barely understand his handwriting, he arched a brow before turning to face Namjoon who finally took notice of his little brother.

"What?"

"Were you a doctor before or something?"

"...No?"

"You have a doctor's handwriting." Namjoon looked back at his notebook before turning towards Jimin who was walking up to the house to see it closer, Namjoon caught up to him stopping him midway. "Don't go in, we don't know if the house is safe to enter."

"The first floor seemed safe enough for me to look around, but I haven't explored the second floor, I wasn't sure if it was safe enough to check especially all by myself," Thea explained as she walked closer to the two, Namjoon nodded and took a step back looking at the house once more. "Well, I would feel a bit more comfortable if the kids stayed out here while you show me the areas you've already seen,"

"Agreed," Both Thea and Namjoon turned to their little siblings who were staring at them with an offended look, Jimin gestured himself and Maiti before speaking, "We can hear you!" Namjoon smirked before turning to face him fully, "Look Jimin, sometimes my work can be a bit dangerous, the last thing I need is for you or Maiti to get hurt, so please, stay out here and don't wander off, ok?" Jimin scrunched his nose but agreed to stay where he is, Maiti didn't have much of an option herself, she nodded as her sister only gave her a look that pretty much spoke for itself.

The young teens watched their older siblings enter the dark and worn out villa as they stayed outside, they faced each other and gave an awkward smile and wave, neither one sure how to proceed to give a small talk as they waited.

Inside the villa, Namjoon listened to Thea and took notes, while also taking notes of his investigation as he inspected the structure and its condition. Jotting down the details, and possible solutions, he was impressed with the condition of the villa, despite looking like it could collapse at any given moment, it was still strong and holding, but he didn't want to give any green lights yet, he still needed to inspect and check the rooms up the second floor, but he would need his team for that.

* * *

* * *

Outside both teens kept staring at the villa until Jimin noticed a small movement on the corner of his eye, he noticed Maiti looking for something in her bag and saw that she pulled out a small board and a dry erase marker. She wrote something before handing it over the Jimin, his brows arched in surprise when he saw that she wrote in Hangul, _"First time visiting Italy?"_ Jimin turned to face her and nodded handing her board back, as she smiled jotting something else, _"How are you liking it so far?"_ It read, Jiming shrugged and answered "I haven't been able to see much of it, Namjoon and I just landed a few hours ago." 

Maiti nodded as she kept jotting down something else on her board, she listed Jimin foods to try and places to visit while they were there, Jimin was very impressed that she could understand his native tongue, which made him feel less tense about being around her. 

Several minutes turned into a solid hour, when Namjoon and Thea finally exited the villa they were amused to see their young siblings quietly scribbling on Matiti's whiteboard. Jimin had the marker and seemed to be drawing something that had the young mute girl's full attention.

"As adorable as this is, we have to get going Jimin," Namjoon said as he gave his little brother a small smile, Jimin only scrunched his nose before handing Maiti her marker and board, Thea and Namjoon agreed to meet the following week for any updates that Namjoon might have on the house, they bided their goodbyes and each drove off to their destinated places. On their way home, Maiti kept staring at the cherry blossom tree that Jimin had drawn on her whiteboard, she was impressed with just how much detail and how pretty it turned out.

* * *

* * *

"Did anything happened while I was inside the house?" She heard Thea ask, Maitit shook her head, Thea only glanced at her little sister for a quick second, before turning her eyes on the road again, the older woman bit the inner side of her cheek and quietly sighed, "Don't get your hopes up too high Mai, you know the rules." Maiti blinked before she lowered her head staring at the drawing again, a sudden pang of sadness boiling inside of her, the young girl quickly closed her eyes and took a deep breath, pushing all sadness back, locking the emotion away, with a slight hesitation, she looked at the drawing once more, burning it into her memory, before erasing it from the little whiteboard, forever.

Thea sighed and gently squeezed her sister's hand, "it'll be ok, just remember the bigger picture and why we do the things we do," Maiti only nodded and gently squeezed her sister's hand back as she stared outside the car window, all the hills, houses and foliage seemed to speed by them, but Maiti remembered that they were the ones moving, everything else stayed in place, as it should, "everything we do is for them Mai, as unfair as it is for us, the bigger picture here is them." Silence fell between them, Maiti would respond if she could, but in situations like these being mute was a burden, not being able to speak your mind grew tiring, but the young girl had no other choice but to follow the path she was born into, _"it's all for them,"_ She kept thinking to herself as her sister drove the car back to Rome.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A.N: I would like to apologize for such a late update, life and other personal matters got in the way, but I've found myself again and I'm back to writing, I can't give specific update dates because writing is something I do to heal and soothe myself, but I promise I won't take as long to update (assuming life gives me a break) I hope all of you that have read this far have a very happy holidays and may 2021 fill yours with all the good things you all deserve.
> 
> Until the next chapter, SquishyStar!


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